Achilles Heel
by lilgenious
Summary: What if Milady de Winter never died when she jumped off the cliff? She is still alive and is now back in Paris to seek her revenge. The musketeers discover that another enemy has their eyes on revenge and will do everything to tear the inseparables apart.
1. Prologue

_A-N: Before you all read this... again. I am rather ashamed of myself for taking this story down and hope that you all forgive me for it. I have found, however a few nitpicks that I hope are no longer within the story. I repeated myself a lot within this little prologue and now am in the process of reading over my other chapters to see if I made the same mistake. While I am greatly ashamed of my behaviour and in the taking down of this story and all my other ones that were written; I am very happy I did so. Without the mistake that I made, I would have never read them over and therefore would not have found my mistakes. So again I am so very sorry that I did this to my readers and hope that I am forgiven. _

**Achilles Heel**

**Prologue**

Two Months Earlier 

The graveyard loomed ahead and Milady could see the cliff's edge from where she was walking along the trail. The graveyard had an eerie feel to it and made the hairs on the back of Milady's neck to stand on their ends, the feelings that Milady got from the place she was being led to was one of loneliness, hopelessness, and death. This was the end for her... up ahead where the graveyard stood looking bleak and desolated was the place where she was to die. A hundred feet below her she could hear the water's waves crashing onto the rocky shore, the thunderous noise frightening to her ears as she walked.

She had tried to proclaim her innocence, but why try to say anything when there was nobody willing to listen? Nobody listened to her cries of innocence or the pleas to listen to her side of the story, and every time she tried to tell her side of the story she found herself staring into the impassive face of her ex husband Athos. After that she had stayed silent and when nobody around her talked she found that the silence was more unbearable than the graveyard that lay beyond the hill they were to climb.

Since she found the silence unbearable she had once again begged for her life but she had failed in the attempt. She had tried to talk her way out of the mess she was in, hoping to charm the men that held onto both of her arms and to persuade them into letting her go but when the large man tightened his hold on her arm and the small man gave her a look of disgust she knew it was unsuccessful. Both of the men who she found to be friends of Athos ignored her and it became clear that they were aware of what her background was.

Along the way they had stopped for a much needed break, stopping for a breather for the climb up to the cliff was almost as treacherous as the waters below. She had tried once again to talk her way out of the punishment that lay not to far away now. Because they were stopped the two men who had led her so far were guarding her, the big tall man kept his eye on her with his hand on the hilt of his sword and looked prepared to take it out if she did anything. She noticed that the small man held onto both a rosary and a bible as he began a conversation with his friend.

"I know you don't want to do this." She said to the smaller man, interrupting him from what he was saying to his friend. "I can see that you're a man of God."

"Yes and as a man of God I believe in Justice." He had said coldly. "You chose to live your life the way you did, now you get to pay for that life."

While he said this to her she could not help but notice that his eyes went to Athos and D'Artagnan who were standing nearby. She stared in hatred at the two men who were the cause of her ruin, both oblivious to the looks she was giving them as they were in deep conversation.

She turned back to the men who were watching her carefully and attempted to once again escape the death that waited for her up ahead. However she found herself listening to the conversation that both her ex husband and D'Artagnan were having and she became angry when she realised that they were talking about her.

"The Queen knows that it was her who tried to kill Constance." D'Artagnan said as he nodded towards Milady. "Just like the King knows that she tried to kill me as well."

Athos looked surprised. "He knows that this woman tried to kill you a few times?"

D'Artagnan nodded grimly. "Word got out that somebody sent me a bottle of wine that had poison in it. He came to me personally to inquire about what happened."

"Well at least we caught the person responsible." Athos said and he turned his head to where his two other friends were to see if they needed any help, when he found that they were okay he turned back to D'Artagnan and said softly. "And at least we saved Constance in time and she told what happened to the Queen. The queen knows that it was this woman who was responsible and we managed to get her on time before she struck again."

Milady was angry at the injustice that she faced and when she heard the queen being mentioned the feelings of anger and hatred towards the man she had once loved, but now hated beyond anything else exploded within her and she heard herself saying.

"You spread lies about me to a royal you fool!" She cried out in anger. "You have more people on your side than I do on my own! You have them listen to your side of the story instead of asking for my side of it!"

Athos and D'Artagnan fell silent and gave her a look; the hostile glares that were given to her were enough to make her shrink back against the large boulder she was sitting in front of. She now realized that she would not be able to get away from Athos or the fate that awaited her and she turned her head away as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

"This is it then?" Milady asked as she looked towards the graveyard with its dark shadows and a statue of an angel that looked like death itself. Her attention focused towards the cliff's edge and she could hear the water as it constantly beat upon the shore with a thunderous roar. "This is the end?"

Beside the executioner stood Lord de Winter, her brother in law from a previous marriage that had ended like so many others before. He gave her a look of venom that only confirmed what she had asked, she had enemies surrounding her and not one of them could be influenced to let her go. She did not see a friendly face that she could easily persuade to cut her loose, the only thing that she saw was open hostility and hatred towards her.

There was no escape... she could not run away from these men. She felt trapped by the very people whom she knew and had caught her trying to cross over to England. She looked around her and collected her bearings, her eyes fell on the graveyard again with its angel statue and the numerous graves that were held within... that was up at the top of the cliff and she would have to fight off and outrun the two men who stood guard over her along with Athos and D'Artagnan who were sure to be right behind her. She glanced down the way they had come and saw nothing to hide behind except for the few boulders that lined the path, other than that and a few trees that were almost uprooted, there was nothing.

She turned her attention back to Athos who now silently stood beside D'Artagan and the man called Porthos. He studied her closely, eyes narrowed as he watched her observe her surroundings. He seemed to know what she was doing because he leaned close towards D'Artagnan and Porthos and whispered something that she could not hear.

"There's no point in looking around for a place to go." Athos finally said his voice cold as he turned his attention away from his friends and towards her. "Because there is no place to go."

"I noticed." She replied and she did not bother to hide the contempt she felt towards him, towards what he had done to her. "Obviously you picked out this place, my dear count. Do tell me how you managed to find this place."

"I passed by this place on my way to hunt you down." Athos said his tone icy. "Let's just say it was an accident and besides the Executioner knows this place extremely well."

"It definitely matches your heart." Milady snapped. "Cold and black! You call this justice? This is not justice you murderous blackguard! This is murder! There is six on your side and none on mine. How fair is that?"

When Athos said nothing her anger rose up again, she had not one person on her side with her and she felt the unfairness every time she looked over at Athos friends.

"You got royals against me." She had said harshly. "Your friends obviously won't believe me when I tell them my side and neither will my stupid brother-in-law... the executioner is obviously on your side as well."

"You did this to yourself Sabine." Athos finally managed his voice hardly more than a whisper. "You killed without a thought or a sense of remorse. You lied about your past and managed to hide something from me when we were together."

She fell silent, unable to say anything else.

"Everyone well rested?" Porthos asked, unable to take anymore of this. "We have somewhere to be remember?"

With that said everybody got up and began to walk the rest of the way to the cliff which was still quite a distance from where they were.

She had started to fall apart right there, her eyes teared up once she realized that her fate was sealed. Nobody would listen to her side of the story, not the priest who was walking behind her looking grim as he stared up ahead and not D'Artagnan whom she had classified as a trusted ally at one point.

But then just as she had lost hope in everything she had seen two of her henchmen, both of them hiding behind the gigantic boulders that lined the road. She almost shouted with joy but the serious expressions and Henri's finger on his lips made her keep silent.

At this point they had reached the cliff and she knew what she had to do... Athos had told her the night before that it was up to her to choose how to go and the most promising way to survive was by jumping off the cliff into the waters below, she had been taught how to swim years ago by one of her ex husbands.

That was exactly what happened when Athos had grabbed the Executioner and pulled him away from her... after she told Athos what the Cardinal's plans were, and had even given him a kiss goodbye.

And as she jumped off the cliff, one thing was on her mind.

Revenge.


	2. Chapter One

AN: This AN comes to you in four parts: ONE: I would like to thank my beta reader MadameGirly25 who has been extremely helpful in the edits of this story, so thank you very much for your help! TWO: This may only be a temporary chapter as I don't like Milady having Henchmen and do not much like the way that the Disney movie went. THREE: I am trying to use Milady's character from the book but find that in this storyline that the more Disney!Milady wants more attention and that the two portrayals are constantly battling it out against each other. Which may be the main reason why this chapter will be rewritten if I deem it impossible for me to continue. FOUR: I got asked an important question by a reader of this fic: _Are you going to be showing your readers what happened to Milady de Winter when she jumped off the cliff? _The answer to this question is YES, Milady de Winter's miraculous survival will be explained in future chapters. The mystery of her supposed "suicide" will most likely be answered near the end.

**Chapter One**

Two months had passed since Milady jumped off of the cliff and into the water below and even though it took her a few days to get back on her feet nothing much had changed. The hatred that she felt for Athos had taken over her hatred of D'Artagnan and his lover. At first she had spent her days planning the perfect revenge for D'Artagnan but the more she thought about her ex husband the more she became angry towards him. She had spent the past month alone thinking of what she should do to Athos now that she knew he was alive, but so far the plan to get her revenge on Athos had been put on hold with the ideas to get back at D'Artagnan.

That was before she realized that in order to get her revenge on Athos that she would have to get rid of D'Artagnan instead, she would be able to move in on her ex husband if he did not have his best friend constantly at his side. She had spent the past eleven days in Paris, following Athos around and found that wherever Athos was D'Artagnan was nearby... something that could work to her advantage if Athos two other friends were not constantly with him either.

However on this particular night Milady was surprised when Athos stepped out of the castle and headed towards the lower parts of Paris on his own. It appeared that he had finished a long shift at the castle and as he passed her hiding spot near the castle gates she noticed that he looked exhausted.

"Why is he not heading home?" Milady asked herself quietly as she watched him turn a corner and head further away from his home.

Henri, one of her henchmen, stepped out of the shadows and looked up and down the street. "Do you think we should follow him?"

Milady stepped out of the shadows behind him and frowned as she looked up and down the street as well, she rushed to the street that she had seen Athos disappear down and quickly stepped into the shadows. Athos had not moved down the street at all but instead was in deep conversation with a man who had the hood of his cloak over his head. Milady froze when she recognized the voice of the man Athos was talking to, it was D'Artagnan and from the way he was speaking all rushed and quiet it sounded like he was worried about something.

"Maybe it is nothing, D'Artagnan." Athos said after a long pause. "Maybe the messenger got lost and is on his way back to get proper directions."

"But don't you find it odd that this is the second messenger to have gone missing in a matter of two weeks?" D'Artagnan asked. "I have been sent by the king to find out the whereabouts of this messenger and I have found absolutely nothing. It is as if he disappeared into thin air!"

In the dark Milady could not see any facial expressions but when Athos did not reply for a few moments she could picture the frown that was always present on his face when he was in deep thought.

"Nobody can disappear into thin air." Athos said at last. "The messenger has to be somewhere and you will find him."

"Yes but there has been no sign of him at all," D'Artagnan paused at this. "his horse has not been seen for days and he did not arrive in Lyon when he was supposed to. You know as well as I that it takes three days to get there by horse and the mayor has told me that he did not arrive."

For a moment the two men stood in silence as Milady and Henri looked at each other... so this was where D'Artagnan had been for the past seven days. Milady had wondered where D'Artagnan had been but had been so preoccupied that she did not bother checking whether or not he was on a mission. She had been prepared to make her move on Athos but before she could she saw Athos two other friends appear and she had to put her revenge on hold until she could get him away from Aramis and Porthos. A task that proved to be impossible since wherever one was the other two were as well and she soon discovered that it was also impossible to create a problem that would require the other two from leaving Athos alone for awhile.

"That is odd even for Mochelle." Athos said and for the first time Milady could hear the worry in his voice. "Do you suppose that Cardinal Richelieu got a hold of him?"

"I don't know." D'Artagnan answered. "I have not heard his name mentioned as I was going down the streets. As far as I know, Richelieu is not there and if he is then he is well hidden."

"The king's spies got back and told the king that they found out the town he was hiding in." Athos said in response to what D'Artagnan had said. "I think he is hiding in a safe house."

"I have never seen the king so angry when he realized he had escaped." D'Artagnan paused as he looked up and down the street. "He was furious at us when he found out that he escaped us somehow."

"He got a lot of us killed that day and Aramis ended up getting gravely wounded." Athos reminded D'Artagnan. "I think that the king was angry more at what had happened than the Cardinal escaping us that day."

"Speaking of the king I have to tell him of the news." D'Artagnan said distracted now over what he should say to the king about what he had learned. "I will meet you in your antechamber after I am done."

Athos watched in silence as D'Artagnan left him for the palace gates before he began to walk down the street towards the other part of Paris.

~(*~*~*~*)~(*~*~*~*)~

Athos walked cautiously down the street, aware of the silence that surrounded him and the people that he walked past on the street. His eyes were glued to the front as he ignored a beggar that had been begging for money and food as he thought of the person he was to meet up with in a few minutes. This person was a source of his and he hoped that they had new information on the whereabouts of Richelieu and the missing messengers.

The news that D'Artagnan told him had worried him, it was unlike any of the king's messengers to be late in delivering a message and he had his suspicions that the two missing messengers were never going to return. D'Artagnan had voiced his concerns for the missing messengers before the king assigned him to find out about the messengers and Athos had noticed that Aramis too was troubled over the case of the missing messengers as well and seemed unusually quiet lately. Porthos as well seemed bothered by the two missing messengers that he had become become uncharacteristically silent and withdrawn.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he did not realize where he was, he had passed by the spot where he had agreed to meet his source and he had to retrace his steps as he went back and paid greater attention to where he was. Finally arriving at the right street to where his source was standing waiting for him with a worried frown on his face.

"I thought you had forgotten where we were to meet." His source said, the source was a small man with his face framed by black hair that was a matted shoulder length tangle.

"No I was thinking to much." Athos said softly. "I was down the road a bit before I realized I had walked on by."

"I called out your name quite a few times," The man responded. "you must have been thinking really hard not to hear me."

Athos smiled in the dark but kept silent for a few moments. "Do you have anything for me Jean Marc?" He asked finally.

"I do." The man replied. "The one you are searching for is in Lyon but he is too well guarded by Rochefort and a few other men that are still loyal to him."

"So both the spies for the king and my suspicions are correct." Athos said quietly to himself. "I thought that Rochefort was dead though."

"No, Monsieur, he is not dead." Jean Marc responded. "Rochefort was wounded by D'Artagnan nothing more, he was responsible for getting the Cardinal away from the soldiers who were responsible in taking him to prison."

"So Rochefort is still alive." Athos said thoughtfully, more to himself than to Jean Marc. "That makes perfect sense now."

"That is not the only information I have." Jean Marc said as he studied Athos in front of him. "There is a plot against the king."

Athos whose attention was diverted to a shadow that appeared briefly in the street behind him became attentitive to what Jean Marc suddenly said. "A plot? Barely two months later and there's a plot?"

Jean Marc became nervous. "I suspect that being out of power for two months is enough time to get a plan in motion."

That was true but Athos did not have the time to admit that, he wanted to know what the plot was so that he could tell D'Artagnan about it.

"The plot is in its early stages but that is as much as I can tell you right at this time." Jean Marc told him. "I could not get close enough to find out more except that whatever is going to happen will be big."

Athos was disappointed and tried his best in keeping that disappointment out of his voice. "What else did you find out?"

"Besides what I said before?" Jean Marc asked. "Nothing much I am afraid. All the information I have on the whereabouts of the Cardinal is that he is somewhere in Lyon."

Athos looked away from Jean Marc as he thought about what to do next. His source had not found out a lot of information but at least it was enough to confirm his suspicions of where the Cardinal was hiding.

"Did you run into any of the messengers that the king sent?" Athos asked as he brought his gaze back to Jean Marc. "The two that have disappeared?"

Jean Marc looked away uncomfortably. "No I did not Monsieur. I have told you all that I found out."

The answer came fast after a slightly uncomfortable pause on Jean Marc's part, Athos had the feeling that Jean Marc was not being honest with what he had said and tried with several failed attempts to get the answer out of his source with no success.

"I have found nothing about the two missing men." Jean Marc said finally exasperated with the repeated questions that Athos threw his way. "All I can tell you is that they did not arrive in Lyon. The horses too it seems have vanished into thin air and there has not been one word from any of the surrounding towns about them either."

Athos knew that there was more to it than what his source had said but before he had a chance to say anything his source bade his farewell and disappeared down the street, leaving a very confused Athos to think more of what he had been told and the strange behaviour of his source.

~(*~*~*~*)~(*~*~*~*)~

D'Artagnan arrived to the house that Athos lived in with his thoughts on the missing messengers and what the king had told him to do. He wanted to talk to his friend about what had happened and when he approached the house he was glad to see that there were lights in the window. However when he opened the door he was surprised to see that both Porthos and Aramis were inside and Athos was nowhere to be found.

"I hope that your journey went well, D'Artagnan." Porthos said irritably when he found out that it was D'Artagnan who walked through the door and not Athos.

Surprised at the lack of welcome from both of his friends D'Artagnan had the feeling that something had happened to cause his friends to look in such distress... something that caused both of them to be waiting for Athos in the middle of the night. He walked further into the room and noticed that Aramis who was usually cheerful was sitting by himself buried in a volume of St. Thomas Aquinas- which was a sure sign of discontent. Porthos sat across the room from Aramis and looked rather short tempered and was unusually quiet. D'Artagnan sat himself down at the table and contented himself by studying the various bottles of wine that Athos had forgotten to put away.

Finally unable to take the tense silence that had built up in the room, D'Artagnan looked up and decided to get his two friends to tell him what was going on.

"It is nothing." Aramis answered as he marked his page and placed the book that he was reading down beside him. "Just that we are worried about Athos that is all."

D'Artagnan started in surprise and glanced up at Aramis as the smaller man stood up to check the windows. "Why? He did not look bad when I spoke to him earlier."

"You saw him?" Porthos asked and he too got up to join Aramis at the window. "We did not see him at all today and we need to talk to him about something that we found out."

"I talked to him and he seemed fine." D'Artagnan told Aramis and Porthos. "He told me that he was headed to the far side of Paris to talk to somebody."

Porthos and Aramis gave each other a look before Porthos turned back to D'Artagnan. "Did he say who he was meeting with?"

"No." D'Artagnan paused as he tried to make sense of his friends urgency to see Athos. "He just told me that he was meeting with a source."

Again D'Artagnan watched as Porthos and Aramis shared a look and he was suddenly impatient to find out what his friends had on their minds. "What is it? Is there something wrong?"

Aramis stepped away from the window and glanced at him. "It might be nothing or at least that is what Porthos told me." He paused as he turned to glare at Porthos who looked away.

"I did not recognize him alright?" Porthos said as he took a sudden interest in something outside the window. "It wasn't until we followed him a bit that I did recognize the man."

D'Artagnan frowned. "Followed who? Why should this concern Athos?"

"Because we recognized the man." Aramis answered. "You remember what happened two months ago and the fight on the ship? Milady's men? We saw one of them around Paris today."

D'Artagnan opened his mouth in surprise but quickly shut it when he could not find anything to say. It was a long time before anybody spoke and he realized that both Aramis and Porthos were looking at him expectantly.

"Perhaps it was a different man." D'Artagnan said quietly.

"No it was the same one I was fighting." Porthos said and he suddenly grinned at the memory. "He took out two swords and made a big show with them. I would recognize him even if he went into a tavern or into a market area."

"About time that you finally realized that." Aramis said impatiently. "We don't think that Milady is there because well she's..."

"There he is at last!" Porthos exclaimed when he looked out the window for the fourth time. Both Aramis and Porthos waited for Athos as he opened the door and walked in. Athos looked surprised when he stepped into his antechamber and found that Aramis and Porthos were there as well as D'Artagnan. He frowned when he saw that Aramis and Porthos wore anxious expressions on their faces and his frown deepened when he turned to D'Artagnan and saw that he looked rather troubled.

Athos listened to what Aramis and Porthos had to say with a frown on his face. To Athos his two friends were worried about nothing and he voiced this by telling them that maybe it was nothing.

"Well it is just like what you said before Aramis." Athos said almost absently as he studied D'Artagnan. "Perhaps it is nothing. After all Milady was known to manipulate others into doing her bidding, perhaps he was just a pawn in her game to get what she wanted."

Porthos looked up at this and glanced at Aramis before he brought his attention back to Athos. "Perhaps you are right, but he was in Paris and he did look rather suspicious as he walked."

Athos smiled at this but chose not to answer, instead he looked over at D'Artagnan who was absently looking towards the window. "Something seems to be bothering you D'Artagnan. What did the king say?"

"He wants to talk to the four of us tomorrow." D'Artagnan said and Athos could hear the thoughtfulness in his voice. "He said that he was glad that I came back when I did because he was about to summon the three of you to the castle."

"Did you tell him what you found out?" Athos asked and he immediately noticed how attentive Porthos and Aramis had become.

"Yes I did." D'Artagnan answered. "He told me that he received some news that he is wanting to discuss with us tomorrow at seven in the morning regarding the missing messengers."

"Seven in the morning?" Aramis asked as he looked away for a moment. "It is almost midnight. If we are to make it on time we should get some rest."

Aramis and Porthos bade their farewell and walked out of Athos residence, leaving Athos and D'Artagnan alone. Athos watched as his friend looked around the small room absently, a look of discontent on his face and a look that meant he was troubled. Finally he got up and silently went to the window where he watched Aramis and Porthos walk down the street and pause to say their goodbyes before they separated. Aramis in the direction of the palace and Porthos in the other direction. A sudden feeling of uneasiness gripped his heart and forced him to turn around to see Athos, the latter was now giving him a concerned look and indicated that he sit down again.

"What do you think of Aramis and Porthos story about the man they saw today?" D'Artagnan asked too troubled to take a seat.

"It could mean nothing." Athos repeated as he opened a bottle of Spanish wine nearby, he offered a glass to D'Artagnan who declined and knew that his friend wanted a proper answer to his question... to ease the worry that he felt. "D'Artagnan, it is nothing. I mean I go to the market place all the time or step into taverns for a drink and see people that came from the same region I came from. Just because I recognize a few people who I had past dealings with does not mean that they mean harm or mean to create an ending to some rivalry with me."

"You're not worried then?" D'Artagnan asked unable to shake off the uneasy feeling that had been growing inside his chest.

"No I am not worried." Athos told him after he took a sip of his wine. "Why should I be? He is just one man that I feel pity towards, of course anybody who fell under the spell of my ex wife I feel pity. This man just got used for a game that _she _was playing."

For awhile they regarded each other in silence, both unable to say anything to the other and to Athos amazement D'Artagnan still looked troubled... even more so than before.

"It is getting late." Athos said as he looked outside. "We have an early start tomorrow if the King wants to see us at seven."

D'Artagnan nodded and silently went to the door before he turned back and glanced at Athos with a frown on his face. "Be safe Athos. If you're in trouble don't hesitate to send someone for help."

It was Athos turn to frown as he watched as D'Artagnan left looking reluctant to leave his friend alone, he went to the window where he watched his friend enter into the street and walk along it. He disappeared down a side street that would take him to his own residence.

Athos stood there for a long moment, watching the street below him before he closed the curtains quickly that shielded his watchful eyes from the outside because he suddenly felt as if a pair of unseen eyes were watching him from below.


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

As D'Artagnan walked along the dark road to his residence, occasionally lit by a flicker of lights in a house window he began to think about the assignment he had been on for the last seven days and he grew more troubled as detail after detail of this case began to come out again and became known.

The case he supposed began when Richelieu had escaped a group of guards and Musketeers who were bringing him over to a prison, charged with treason and under investigation the orders were to bring him somewhere that he would never escape from and at the same time to be safe. It was well known that Richelieu had many enemies that would prefer to see him dead and even though the Cardinal was charged of treason by the King himself, there was a request made that the Cardinal have a guard and to be placed in isolation when he got to the prison. Aramis and Porthos had been a part of this guard and had been a part of a platoon of eight Musketeers to make sure that he got there safely and on time.

They never made it, for as soon as they took off the journey had been doomed from the start and a few yards from the prison gates a group of men came out of the shadows and began to fight. From witness reports made by the survivors of the attack, it came swiftly and without warning. One minute a guard made up of both Musketeers and regular guards were riding on horseback towards the prison with the Cardinal in the midst of them and the next three groups of a dozen men came out of the shadows and began to fight them. Three guards and one Musketeer were killed by crossbow fire from the rooftops and the rest were forced to put their swordsmanship skills to the test, quickly dismounting from their horses and fighting the attackers off with solid blows from their swords. Aramis had been wounded while he fought two men and Porthos who had been fighting nearby had to come to his aid before Aramis' two attackers could deal the killer blows to his skull. When the attack stopped as suddenly as it began the Cardinal was gone and the men who had come out of the shadows retreated... leaving two Musketeers and six guards dead in the street.

Then the disappearance of the two Messengers that were to deliver a message in Lyon had vanished without a trace and the King who had thought something to be amiss because of the disappearance of his two trusted Messengers had sent D'Artagnan to Lyon to investigate. He had found out right away through the Mayor of the town that the two Messengers didn't arrive with their messages and had sent one of his own the moment that D'Artagnan was finished talking to him. However the other troubling fact that D'Artagnan had learned from the King when he spoke to him before he went to Athos house was the fact that the Messenger from Lyon did not arrive in Paris either. So now there were three missing Messengers that had to be found and quickly for that matter because now the King was sure that something was going on. The King had found out some rather interesting details by a few Courtiers that came from outside of the Lyon area and had told D'Artagnan what he had found out. That was the reason why D'Artagnan and his three friends were to come and see him early the next morning, though D'Artagnan had a suspicion that there was more to it than a few Nobles and their rumours in the Royal Court.

D'Artagnan did find out a lot of information in Lyon and he felt bad for lying to his closest friend about what else he had found out. There was a rumour in the town of Lyon that Cardinal Richelieu was hiding there, there were searches day and night for the Cardinal and for the men who had helped him escaped, farmers from out of town were constantly stopped at the gates and had their carts searched and many of these farmers complained to each other how some of their produce was destroyed right after the searches- Apples were bruised, carrots were stepped on, barrels of corn were spilled. Carriages were stopped from leaving the town and the occupants found themselves rudely searched and seats were upended, even the wealthy found themselves searched and questioned which D'Artagnan was quick to learn caused quite a bit of duels for honour in the streets.

The Mayor of Lyon told D'Artagnan that because of all the searches and tensions between the people and outsiders that the town began to suffer for it. Food was never really a problem but the town began to see a change in the few farmers who still came to Lyon to sell their produce in Market Places. The farmers were demanding higher prices for an egg basket, fruits and vegetables... even the farmers who came daily with milk and butter began to demand higher prices; though these dairy farmers would only put a high price on their products if a crate of milk bottles ended up broken during the searches done to their carts.

Due to all the attention to the search for the Cardinal and his men, the highways were now as unsafe as ever. Highwaymen who were armed often stopped travelers and robbed them of everything, D'Artagnan heard from a carriage driver who had been driving a very well known wealthy family from the Normandy region of France on holiday to visit family that two highwaymen had stolen not only the money that was stored inside the Carriage but also two carriage horses. He also heard from a woman how a highwayman approached their carriage that was headed to Paris that had stopped because of a broken wheel and attempted to steal everything from them, even a young woman's innocence. The woman then added that fortunately the attack was stopped by a group of passing noblemen en route to the same city that they were to go, saving everybody including the young woman's honour.

D'Artagnan had witnessed many scenes where passengers of a carriage had not been so lucky. One scene was littered with belongings and trunks, a broken carriage and a few dead bodies. The horses so panicked that when D'Artagnan and one of Lyon's soldiers tried to calm them down one ended up breaking its leg and had to be shot. The Mayor of Lyon was forced to call in the army and now the town itself was like an armed fortress getting prepared for battle. Nobody was allowed in or out except for a few that were granted permission. Farmers were told to go away unless they submitted to thirty soldiers looking through their carts before proceeding into the market place. There was now a law for all citizens of Lyon to be back in their houses before eight thirty at night and anybody who broke that would be arrested and taken to prison to spend the night... a harsh punishment that D'Artagnan had to agree with, especially if it proved to keep the residents of Lyon safe.

D'Artagnan sighed as he thought of his visit to Lyon, true the city was beginning to fall but at least it was considered a bit safe from what it used to be a few days after his arrival.

He sighed again as he became aware of his surroundings, a few more houses before he was to turn right and head down another street that had his own lodgings. He listened to the silence that was occasionally broken by loud voices of a few drunks, or the unsteady footsteps of a well known drunkard that D'Artagnan had learned to be wary of as the man was known to get violent in his drunken state. Then there was another noise, a soft rustle as if it were a cloak and footsteps going the same pace he was... perhaps a little slower. He glanced behind him and saw a figure in the shadows, watching him. The hood of their cloak was pressed over their head and hid their face but D'Artagnan was sure that the eyes of the figure were studying him.

There was something eerily familiar with the way that the figure was standing and a memory that D'Artagnan hoped to forget had resurfaced. A memory of Milady as she stood in the shadows one night and watched him and Athos as they left an inn, she was angry that night when her attempt to kill Athos had not worked. The next night she had tried to kill him and Athos decided that enough was enough and began to hunt her down, when Milady almost killed Constance it pushed his friend over the edge and he began to search for her day and night- not bothering to sleep until he found out that she was the Cardinal's spy and the one who was to set sail to England.

Milady had been executed... or at least she was to be until she jumped off a cliff to her death. How was it possible that she was standing in front of him, hidden by the shadows two months later? The figure began to move towards him and D'Artagnan grabbed the hilt of his sword and paused, watching as the figure hesitated before deciding that it was in its best interest to stop.

"Who goes there?" D'Artagnan called out and waited without moving for an answer. This couldn't be Milady that was a crazy thought. No this had to be somebody who possessed enough power to be like her, this wasn't the woman who jumped to her death two months ago.

The figure did not respond, just disappeared back into the shadows and began to walk back the way that they had come. For a moment D'Artagnan listened to their footsteps before he turned and hurried across the street to where his own residence was waiting for him. He was troubled by what had happened but decided to push his thoughts back and talk to Athos about it in the morning, before they were to go to the Palace to talk to the King.

As he unlocked his door his mind went back to the figure who had watched him in the shadows, the feeling of unease had returned with much ferocity then before and D'Artagnan could not help but feel a great worry for Athos who was alone at his home.

_Just because this figure looked like Milady does not mean it was her. _D'Artagnan thought as he tried to shake of his worry. _Milady is dead; she took her own life two months ago. It was probably some beggar who wanted money but I scared them off when I brought my hand to my sword. Yes this incident was just that, a beggar who wanted money but decided to go bother somebody else. _

But no matter how many times he tried to reassure himself that the incident was nothing, D'Artagnan could not help but feel uneasy over this incident. He could not wait until morning when he could talk it over with Athos... or perhaps he shouldn't. Athos would shake it off as a beggar; he wouldn't believe him at all would he? He'd become concerned over his friend's state of mind that would be sure and then jump to the conclusion that it was D'Artagnan's overactive imagination that made him think it was Milady de Winter. Still he had to talk to somebody about what happened and he knew that one of his friends would believe him and tell him what to do about it.

_Aramis would know what to do about this. _D'Artagnan thought and he paused in the entrance way with his cloak half undone. Yes Aramis would know what to do and would be able to tell him if it was the work of his imagination that he saw Milady de Winter's shadowy figure before him.

With that on mind, D'Artagnan buttoned up his cloak and placed the hood over his head before he stepped out into the cold, dark night and began his trek to Aramis' lodgings to discuss a new important matter.

~(*~*~*~*)~(*~*~*~*)~

As he hurried towards Aramis' residence D'Artagnan kept a look out for the mysterious cloaked figure. He took another route to his friend's residence; one that he hoped would avoid the hooded figure as he was sure the figure was still out in the streets somewhere. He paused only once in his journey and that was on the street where he saw Athos' lodgings, a candle light flickered in the house and D'Artagnan could see his friend's shadow going from room to room. He sighed in relief and continued on, happy that his friend was safe.

The cold, crisp air bit at his nose as he walked along the silent road and he listened to the silence around him. On this silent and empty road he was yet to meet anybody but kept his ears sharply tuned for any noises such as footsteps or the swish of a cloak... or in some cases the stumbling footfalls of a drunkard, despite the reassuring silent and empty road D'Artagnan kept one hand on the hilt of his sword and was prepared to take it out and use it if he needed it.

The journey proved to be uneventful and soon D'Artagnan found himself outside the door to Aramis' lodgings. He hesitated for a moment as he searched the empty road for any signs of the hooded figure and knocked on the door. He paused again when he heard Aramis' muffled voice from within and the footsteps that made their way to the door, then the unlocking of the latch and the door was pulled open... showing a very tired looking Aramis. Aramis' eyes widened when he saw D'Artagnan but he said nothing as he moved aside and allowed D'Artagnan to enter.

"D'Artagnan, I am a little surprised to see you here." Aramis tried to hide a yawn but failed in the process.

D'Artagnan frowned and shook his head. "I come here all hours of the day and night, I shouldn't surprise you."

Aramis smiled. "True to that." He paused as he studied D'Artagnan and noticed a troubled expression on his friend's face. "What is wrong?"

D'Artagnan sat down in a chair and told Aramis what had happened with the cloaked figure that looked so much like Milady de Winter. He told his friend of the concern that he had and how he felt foolish when he thought it was Milady de Winter but then expressed his concern that it was possible that Milady de Winter was alive. Through it all Aramis listened to D'Artagnan, not interrupting his friend as he rambled on but finally he felt that he had to say something and held up his hand, D'Artagnan stopped talking right away.

"So you think that you saw Milady de Winter?" Aramis asked as he studied D'Artagnan.

"Yes, I thought it was her. It looked like her in the dark anyway. You remember the way that she used to stand watching us?" D'Artagnan fell silent, deep in thought.

Aramis sighed heavily. "Yes, I do. Milady is dead, you have to understand that. Nobody could survive a fall off of a cliff like that, even if they landed in the water."

D'Artagnan looked away uncomfortably. "I know that Aramis. It's just that I was sure that it was her; I thought that I had seen her but I think that it was just a beggar that followed me from Athos place. I just thought that it was..."

"D'Artagnan it was dark outside." Aramis said gently. "It could have been anybody. I am sure that it wasn't Milady de Winter; she jumped off a cliff to her death months ago. She's gone and ever since that day you haven't gotten one good day of rest."

"I have been busy these past seven days," D'Artagnan admitted but found that despite Aramis' reassurances that he still could not shake off the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. "I suppose that my eyes were playing a trick on me tonight and made me think I was seeing our old enemy."

"Eyes have been known to trick people when they are exhausted." Aramis reminded him. "You have to get some sleep before tomorrow though. The King does want to see us after all."

Aramis got up and walked to the window; he shifted the curtain and peered outside. It was dark outside with all the houses lights now out and the moon hidden behind a cloud. Was it possible that D'Artagnan saw Milady de Winter tonight? He had the same worry when he saw one of her henchmen standing nearby him and Porthos that day. His memory went back to that day that Milady was to be executed and frowned, they had watched her jump over the edge but had they really peered over the edge and made sure that her body was down there? Troubled by his own thoughts Aramis began to pace in front of the window... well the answer to that question was no, no one had went out to see if her body was down at the bottom.

But yet one thought always came to mind, the cliff was over the ocean and at the bottom were very sharp rocks. If Milady de Winter had jumped off the cliff she would have died, there was no way that a person could jump off of a cliff without crashing into the rocks below. Yet Aramis had his doubts, he had not seen a body at the bottom of the cliff but then again he did not bother to check. Though he was positive that the vile murderous woman was dead, if she wasn't she would have continued her murderous rampages all over France and would have gotten Athos in her scheme of revenge.

"D'Artagnan, I am positive that the woman is dead." Aramis said as he turned around.

D'Artagnan however did not answer as he was too busy sleeping in the armchair that he had sat in the moment he entered the house. Aramis sighed and went to his bedroom where he found a spare blanket; he draped the blanket over his sleeping friend before retiring for the night. Though it took him much longer to sleep as he had way too many troubled thoughts running through his head about Milady de Winter.


End file.
